ARC Review: A Legacy of Murder by Connie Berry

A Legacy of Murder
Author: Connie Berry
Series: A Kate Hamilton Mystery (Book 2)
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (October 8, 2019)

Description: American antique dealer Kate Hamilton's Christmastime jaunt to a charming English village leads to an investigation of a missing ruby...and a chain of murders.

It's Christmastime and antiques dealer Kate Hamilton is off to visit her daughter, Christine, in the quaint English village of Long Barston. Christine and her boyfriend, Tristan, work at stately-but-crumbling Finchley Hall. Touring the Elizabethan house and grounds, Kate is intrigued by the docent's tales of the Finchley Hoard, and the strange deaths surrounding the renowned treasure trove. But next to a small lake, Kate spies the body of a young woman, killed by a garden spade.

Nearly blind Lady Barbara, who lives at Finchley with her loyal butler, Mugg, persuades Kate to take over the murdered woman's work. Kate finds that a Burmese ruby has vanished from the legendary Blood-Red Ring, replaced by a lesser garnet. Were the theft and the woman's death connected?

Kate learns that Lady Barbara's son fled to Venezuela years before, suspected of murdering another young woman. The murder weapon belonged to an old gardener, who becomes the leading suspect. But is Lady Barbara's son back to kill again? When another body is found, the clues point toward Christine. It's up to Kate to clear her daughter's name in Connie Berry's second Kate Hamilton mystery, a treasure for fans of traditional British mysteries.

My Thoughts: Kate Hamilton is in England to visit her daughter Christine who is an intern at Finchley Hall. She is on a tour of the estate while waiting for her daughter to finish orientation when the tour group comes upon the body of a young woman in a lake.

The young lady is Tabitha King who is another intern and who was in charge of organizing a exhibition of the Finchley Hoard which is celebrating its 200th anniversary of being rediscovered. The hoard is a collection of Anglo-Saxon artifacts and is literally priceless. The fees for the exhibition will go a long way to keeping Finchley Hall in the possession of almost-blind Lady Barbara.

Lady Barbara convinces antiques dealer Kate to take over the final organization of the exhibition. Kate is also busy, along with her boyfriend Detective Inspector Tom Mallory, trying to find out who murdered Tabitha. Kate is also dealing with relationship drama with her daughter Christine and her boyfriend Tristan who is being vamped by another of the interns. Christine has a very difficult, prickly personality.

Also raising tensions is an organized group of thieves who are targeting nearby stately homes and stealing assorted small but very valuable items - just the sort of thing that the Finchley Hoard is known for.

This was an engaging mystery in a great setting. I loved all the distinct characters. I was almost certain I had figured out who the murderer was by the middle of the story and was pleased to be correct. I was intrigued by the relationship between Tom and Kate which had a number of impediments including the fact that the two live in different countries.

Fans of British cozy mysteries will enjoy this one.

Favorite Quote:

"No need. Mrs. Hamilton will lend me her arm, won't you, Kate?"

"Very good, madam." Mugg backed out of the room. None too pleased. He shot me a look that said bring her back in one piece or you'll answer to me."

Lady Barbara reached for my arm.

In the light of the mirrored wall sconces, her pale-blue irises looked opaque.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: The Language of Bees by Laurie R. King

The Language of Bees
Author: Laurie R. King
Series: Mary Russell (Book 9)
Publication: Bantam (April 28, 2009)

Description: For Mary Russell and her husband, Sherlock Holmes, returning to the Sussex coast after seven months abroad was especially sweet. There was even a mystery to solve—the unexplained disappearance of an entire colony of bees from one of Holmes’s beloved hives.

But the anticipated sweetness of their homecoming is quickly tempered by a galling memory from the past. Mary had met Damian Adler only once before, when the surrealist painter had been charged with—and exonerated from—murder. Now the troubled young man is enlisting the Holmeses’ help again, this time in a desperate search for his missing wife and child.

Mary has often observed that there are many kinds of madness, and before this case yields its shattering solution she’ll come into dangerous contact with a fair number of them. From suicides at Stonehenge to the dark secrets of a young woman’s past on the streets of Shanghai, Mary will find herself on the trail of a killer more dangerous than any she’s ever faced—a killer Sherlock Holmes himself may be protecting for reasons near and dear to his heart.

My Thoughts: Mary and Sherlock are just home from months abroad when Sherlock's son Damian Adler comes to ask for their help finding his missing wife and child. Sherlock wasn't aware of Damian's existence until 1919 when he and Mary worked to clear him of a murder charge.

Damian was a war hero, a drug addict, and a Bohemian painter. He greatly resented Holmes for his neglect and for his mother's unhappiness. He felt that Holmes should have know of his existence. As soon as he was cleared of the murder charge, he disappeared.

Now it is 1924 and Damian is back with his attitude toward Holmes pretty much unchanged. Adler and Holmes disappear to London to look for his family leaving Mary behind to work on the mystery of the hive of bees that had been abandoned. After a few days of working on that mystery, Mary decides to head to London to begin her own investigation.

Mary learns that Damian's wife Yolanda was fascinated by a wide variety of religions and belief systems. Mary discovers her relationship with the Children of Lights whose theology is a mash-up of many other beliefs including Norse mythology. She becomes convinced that their holy book is the work of a madman and she fears that Damian might be the author.

When Yolanda is found dead - murdered - at an ancient historical site, Mary and Sherlock begin looking at other odd events at historical sites to try to find out if her death was one in a pattern. Meanwhile, Holmes is looking for Damian who left him during their investigation.

This story was filled with great detail about the Bohemian movement and the art scene in London for those who were called Surrealists. I loved the descriptions of Damian's art work though I wouldn't want them in my living room any more than Mary did.

The tension builds as the story progresses until Mary is forced to fly from London to the Orkneys with a military pilot and through massively difficult weather to try to beat the villain to his final sacrificial site and save Damian and his daughter's lives. The descriptions made me feel that I was there along with Mary during that harrowing flight.

The only thing I didn't like about the story was the cliffhanger ending. I am very grateful that the next book is available for me and that I didn't have to wait a year for it.

Favorite Quote:

My own tradition of Judaism believes that there is nothing God loves more than a quick-witted argument; the words Millicent Dunworthy read were an excellent illustration of the need to teach Rabbinic debate in public schools.

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: The Language of Bees by Laurie R. King

Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is now hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Beginning:

As homecomings go, it was not auspicious.

Friday 56:

He laid the cigarette case down and looked straight at Holmes, for the first time in several minutes. "Once we decided to leave Shanghai, I married Yolanda. Neither of us believes in the concept, but I doubt the government would have permitted her to come otherwise."

This week I am digging into a book from my Keeper shelves that I haven't read for ten years or so. The Language of Bees by Laurie R. King is the ninth in the Mary Russell series of historical mysteries. Here is the description from Amazon:

For Mary Russell and her husband, Sherlock Holmes, returning to the Sussex coast after seven months abroad was especially sweet. There was even a mystery to solve—the unexplained disappearance of an entire colony of bees from one of Holmes’s beloved hives.

But the anticipated sweetness of their homecoming is quickly tempered by a galling memory from the past. Mary had met Damian Adler only once before, when the surrealist painter had been charged with—and exonerated from—murder. Now the troubled young man is enlisting the Holmeses’ help again, this time in a desperate search for his missing wife and child.

Mary has often observed that there are many kinds of madness, and before this case yields its shattering solution she’ll come into dangerous contact with a fair number of them. From suicides at Stonehenge to the dark secrets of a young woman’s past on the streets of Shanghai, Mary will find herself on the trail of a killer more dangerous than any she’s ever faced—a killer Sherlock Holmes himself may be protecting for reasons near and dear to his heart.

Book Review: I Shall Not Want by Julia Spencer-Fleming

I Shall Not Want
Author: Julia Spencer-Fleming
Series: Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne Mysteries (Book 6)
Publication: Minotaur Books; First edition (April 28, 2009)

Description: In the small Adirondack town of Millers Kill, New York, life doesn't stop for heartbreak. A brand-new officer in the police department, a breaking-and-entering, and trouble within his own family keep Police Chief Russ Van Alstyne busy enough to ignore the pain of losing his wife―and the woman he loves.

At St. Alban's Episcopal Church, the Reverend Clare Fergusson is trying to keep everyone happy while denying her own wounded soul. When a Mexican farmhand stumbles over a Latino man killed with a single shot to the back of his head, Clare is sucked into the investigation. The discovery of two more bodies executed in the same way ignites fears that a serial killer is loose. Now two would-be lovers, who thought they had lost everything, must find a way to trust each other again―as the violence strikes ever closer to home...

My Thoughts: This is the sixth book in the Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne series of mysteries. I have been reading them back-to-back and can't imagine how it would be to have to wait a year or five or eight for the next book to come out. They are extremely compelling stories both as mysteries and as an exploration of mature love.

Russ and Clare haven't spoken for a while. After his wife's death in a car accident, Russ is feeling too guilty that he chose to help Clare rather than go with his wife during the snowstorm. Clare is feeling both hurt and abandoned and is throwing herself into her church work. She has also, with the advice of her bishop, reupped in the military by joining the National Guard as a helicopter pilot.

When Clare attends an ecumenical gathering, she meets Sister Lucia who is very involved with the Hispanic workers who are filling jobs on many of the farms in the area. Clare didn't even know there were Hispanic workers around. She offers to help. Then she gets a phone call from Sister Lucia telling her she was in a car accident while transporting workers and goes to see how she can help. The accident also brings Russ to the scene. The workers have scattered leading him to believe that they were undocumented. He also learns that his sister and brother-in-law have hired the workers to help with their newly expanded dairy operation.

Then a body is found near the farm and it looks like he was killed execution-style. Two more bodies are found at the scene of a big church picnic and they were also murdered. A murder investigation isn't what new officer Hadley Knox was expecting. She came home with her kids to stay with her grandfather who is the sexton of Clare's church. She came home broke and needs the job but she isn't sure police work is really her calling.

This story includes undocumented workers and drug running from the nearby larger cities. It is a fast-paced, tension filled story. The tension between Russ and Clare is nonstop as they are both dealing with grief and guilt but also with love for each other. I couldn't put it down.

Favorite Quote:

He hung up before she had a chance to say anything else. Maybe he was in a tearing hurry. Maybe they were back to not talking. That's what she missed the most: talking. Serious, silly, bone-deep, flippant, all their words and thoughts like gifts to each other, the only gifts they, with their hobbled hearts, could give. She turned the CD player back up. Another day to sing about the magic that was you and me. Oh, yeah. Always time for that.

I bought this one April 29. 2009. You can buy your copy here.

YA ARC Review: The Athena Protocol by Shamim Sarif

The Athena Protocol
Author: Shamim Sarif
Series: Athena Protocol
Publication: HarperTeen (October 8, 2019)

Description: Bourne Identity meets Karen McManus in this action-packed series opener about a spy gone rogue, perfect for fans of Ally Carter and Killing Eve.

Jessie Archer is a member of the Athena Protocol, an elite organization of female spies who enact vigilante justice around the world.

Athena operatives are never supposed to shoot to kill—so when Jessie can’t stop herself from pulling the trigger, she gets kicked out of the organization, right before a huge mission to take down a human trafficker in Belgrade.

Jessie needs to right her wrong and prove herself, so she starts her own investigation into the trafficking. But going rogue means she has no one to watch her back as she delves into the horrors she uncovers. Meanwhile, her former teammates have been ordered to bring her down. Jessie must face danger from all sides if she’s to complete her mission—and survive.

My Thoughts: This is a story about spies and about family. Jessie Archer is a member of an elite all-female vigilante squad who works around the world to save girls and women. When she goes out of control on her mission and kills the man who is holding a group of girls hostage, she is fired from her organization because her actions brought too much publicity.

This situation is particularly difficult because her mother Kit is one of the three founders of the organization. She already has a lot of resentment towards her mother who, as a rock star, left Jessie alone for weeks at a time when she was a child because she was busy touring. Add in that her mother lied to her about her father and you have a situation that is filled with resentment. The fact that her mother has been clean, sober, and present for some time hasn't overcome Jessie's childhood trauma.

Jessie knows that the group's next mission will be taking them to Serbia where they are trying to take down a human trafficker named Gregory Pavlic. Kit has a gig performing at his birthday celebration which will give the team an in to look for incriminating evidence. The also have an ally in country named Aleks Yuchic who has had some success bringing down other criminals.

Jessie steals some equipment from her office and decides to go to Serbia to conduct her own investigation. She engineers a meeting with the trafficker's daughter Paulina who runs a gallery that focuses on photography. All their research has indicated the Paulina is not a part of her father's criminal enterprise.

Jessie's investigation indicates that that sex trafficking is just the tip of the iceberg of Gregory Pavlic's crimes. She is sharing what she finds with the rest of her team but they still won't let her take part in their operation.

The action was fast-paced and the betrayals kept on coming. I liked the relationship that Jessie has with her colleagues and the founders of the agency she works for though I had some trouble with the idea of female vigilantes seeking justice for women. I also liked that Jessie was smart and brave.

Fans of thrillers will enjoy this one. It would make a great movie too.

Favorite Quote:

"It doesn't matter if I trust her or not," I say. "I managed to steal that card from her because she trusted me."

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from Edelweiss. You can buy your copy here.

State of the Stack #88 (October 1, 2019)

This is my monthly State of the Stack post. It is my way to keep track of my review books and to hopefully reduce the stack that I have waiting for me. I take a look at my review commitments on or near the first of the month. Link with Avalinah's Books (description below) to check out other people's progress.

Here is my Review Books Spreadsheet I list them in publication order and sort them by month. I can quickly see how many books I have for each date. Ideally, this keeps me from over-committing to review books. Check my spreadsheet to find out where I got each book.

I also do this post because sometimes (frequently) review books sit on my stack for a while before I read and review them. I try to read and review books within two weeks of publication date. Sometimes I can't, though, if too many books are releasing on the same date or if the book arrives too near its publication date and my calendar is already full.

I am very grateful to the authors and publishers who support my reading habit.

I Read This Month

These are listed in the order I read them. Links go to my reviews for all that have been posted already. Otherwise, the date the review is scheduled for is listed.

1. The Books of the Dead by Emilia Bernhard (Oct. 1)
2. The Athena Protocol by Shamim Sarif (Oct. 2)
3. A Legacy of Murder by Connie Berry (Oct. 6)
4. Read and Buried by Eva Gates (Oct. 8)
5. The Art of Theft by Sherry Thomas (Oct. 9)
6. The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols by Nicholas Meyer (Oct. 12)
7. Archangel's War by Nalini Singh (Sept. 24)
8. All the Things We Do in the Dark by Saundra Mitchell (Oct. 23)
9. Deadly Little Scandals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Oct. 29)
10. Tell Me No Lies by Shelley Noble (Oct. 31)
11. Poppy Redfern and the Midnight Murders by Tessa Arlen (Nov. 2)

Read Previously, Reviews Posted This Month

1. Vendetta in Death by J. D. Robb (Sept. 1)
2. Remembering the Dead by Elizabeth J. Duncan (Sept. 3)
3. Ice Cold Heart by PJ Tracy (Sept. 4)
4. Fatal Cajun Festival by Ellen Byron (Sept. 5)
5. Save Your Breath by Melinda Leigh (Sept. 10)
6. Don't Say a Word by Amber Lynn Natusch (Sept. 14)

I Added These Books

These are listed in the order I received them. Links go to Amazon. Date published is listed in parentheses.

1. The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James (Feb. 18)
2. Unspeakable Things by Jess Lourey (Jan. 1)
3. A Cowboy Like You by Donna Grant (Nov. 26)
4. Archangel's War by Nalini Singh (Sept. 24)
5. Penny for Your Secrets by Anna Lee Huber (Oct. 29)

My Review Pile

October

• Penny for Your Secrets by Anna Lee Huber (October 29)

November

• Tracking Game by Margaret Mizushima (November 12)
• Echoes of the Fall by Hank Early (November 12)
• Catfishing on Catnet by Naomi Kritzer (YA; November 19) 

• The Princess Plan by Julia London (November 19)
• A Cowboy Like You by Donna Grant (November 26)

December

• Trace of Evil by Alice Blanchard (December 3)
• Thin Ice by Paige Shelton (December 3)
• A Madness of Sunshine by Nalini Singh (December 3) 

• Dangerous Alliance by Jennieke Cohen (YA; December 3)
• Just Watch Me by Jeff Lindsay (December 3)

January

• Unspeakable Things by Jess Lourey (January 1)
• The Vanishing by Jayne Ann Krentz (January 7)
• Spitfire by M. L. Huie (January 7) 

• The Woman in the Veil by Laura Joh Rowland (January 7)
• The Prized Girl by Amy K. Green (January 14)
• Rogue Princess by B. R. Myers (YA; January 21)

February

• A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson (YA; February 4)
• Golden in Death by J. D. Robb (February 4)
• Felicity Carrol and the Murderous Menace by Patricia Marcantonio (February 11)

• The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James (February 18)
• Pretty as a Picture by Elizabeth Little (February 25)

March

• A Death in Chelsea by Lynn Brittney (March 10)
• Frozen Beauty by Lexa Hillyer (March 17)

April

• Redemption Prep by Samuel Miller (YA; April 14)

Next Month's Plan

I'm staying on track but mainly because I'm choosing fewer books for review. I like being able to read some of my own books and even have time to reread favorites.

*********

I am also linking up with the State of the ARC meme. Here is the explanation and rules.

State of the ARC is a monthly meme at Avalinah’s Books meant to motivate you to finish up all your long overdue ARCs (Advanced or Early Reader Copies). You can track your reading progress and link up with your own post. Most commonly it comes out on the 30th of every month.

Rules of State of the ARC:

• Mention that you’re linking up with State of the ARC @ AvalinahsBooks, which is a fun way to share our ARC progress, challenges, wins, woes and mishaps.
• Include the link to this post, or the current State of the ARC post. You can use my State of the ARC image too.
• Don’t forget to visit all the other people in the link-up and comment.
• And most importantly – have fun!

ARC Review: The Books of the Dead by Emilia Bernhard

The Books of the Dead
Author: Emilia Bernhard
Series: A Death in Paris Mystery (Book 2)
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (October 8, 2019)

Description: Parisian summers are for strolls in the park . . . and solving a murder--or two. 

When American sleuth Rachel Levis stumbles upon an employee of the French national library strangled in the bathroom of a cafe, she's not surprised to be asked to help with the investigation by her old acquaintance Capitaine Boussicault--after all, she and her best friend Magda solved a tricky murder only eighteen months before.

But right from the start, this case proves to be très difficile. When Rachel goes undercover as a librarian to determine which of his book-loving colleagues loathed the man enough to kill him, the library is rocked by more bad news: a priceless antique book has been mutilated. And the very next day, her favorite suspect for the murder is found dead in the stacks.

Just as the case is heating up, Boussicault pulls Rachel from the investigation. Undeterred, she and Magda decide to forge ahead with their own investigation--even if it could put them at odds with the police and in serious danger. With evidence and suspects piling up, it will be up to them to find the culprit--and stop more innocent books from being harmed--before anyone else checks out for good.

My Thoughts: This story begins when our heroine Rachel Levis discovers a man who has been strangled on the floor of a men's room of a rather seedy cafe. She learns that he was an employee of the French national library and worked with rare books. She isn't surprised when Capitaine Boussicault asks her to go undercover at the Library to see if she can figure out who wanted him dead. She had worked with Bousicault before and solved another mystery.

Rachel quickly learns that the murder victim was rather universally hated by his colleagues. He destroyed the dream of becoming an author for one of them and destroyed their trust in men for the other. A note discovered by Rachel also seems to indicate that he was attempting blackmail on someone.

When it is discovered that illustrations from some of the rare books have been stolen, the suspect pool widens to include the scholars who have been using the library. And all of the visiting scholars seem to have money troubles and motives for theft.

I liked the characters in this story. Rachel is eager to be a detective since she is currently frustrated with her current assignment to write hymns. Her sidekick Magda is feeling resentful that she wasn't asked to infiltrate the library and tensions are building between the two best friends.

I liked the details about rare books and the French national library. I liked that Rachel and Magda felt frustration as they were searching for information about their suspects. I could also feel the frustration of Bousicault as Rachel kept thinking she was more important to the investigation than she was and kept getting in the way of the police investigation.

This was a nice cozy with a great setting. It is also the second in a series but stands alone quite well.

Favorite Quote:

"I know, I know. But --" Rachel took another, smaller, swallow, then put down the glass. "First of all, I hate to say it, but he's right: I do want to know how the story ends, and I don't want someone to tell me. I want to see it for myself."

"Or make it happen," Magda pointed out.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.